ARLINGTON, Texas – Heading into the 2025 college baseball season, the Louisville Cardinals were picked to finish ninth in the ACC preseason coaches poll.
Coming off a season finishing 32-24 overall and not winning a postseason game, there was not much stock in the Cardinals from the media.
2025 Preseason ACC Coaches Poll
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However, Louisville was able to put a great opening weekend together in Arlington during the 2025 Shriners Children’s College Showdown. They were able to win two out of their three games with both wins coming against top 25 opponents.
Their first game of the season had them facing off against the Texas Longhorns this past Friday on Feb. 14, 2025.
It was a slow start to the game as the Cards were in a 2-0 hole throughout the entire game leading up until the ninth inning. With their back against the wall, designated hitter Garret Pike came through for Louisville and tied the game by knocking in two runs with a big double to send the game into extra innings.
Center fielder Lucas Moore would be the hero for the Cardinals in extra-innings as he laced a ball to left field in the tenth inning. This brought his teammate Zion Rose in to score, and Louisville walked off Texas in an upset, winning 4-3.
Despite a blowout loss to Oklahoma State the next day, the Cards recovered with a blowout win of their own on Sunday against the Arizona Wildcats. The team finished with 17 hits in a game that ended in eight innings due to the run rule. It was a 13-1 win for Louisville.
The two wins this weekend for the Cardinals were against the 19th and 21st overall teams in the country. This is the kind of start head coach Dan McDonnell and his team needed to get back to playing meaningful postseason baseball down the road.
Louisville’s remaining non-conference schedule the rest of the way also seems favorable making these wins over Texas and Arizona mean that much more.
The Cards will return home to Jim Patterson Stadium on Wednesday, Feb. 19, to play the Xavier Musketeers in a mid-week matchup. The first pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. EST.
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Louisville pitcher Austin Conway hugs catcher Zach Britton (34) following an Atlantic Coast Conference NCAA college baseball tournament semifinal game against Pittsburgh in Durham, N.C., Saturday, May 26, 2018. Louisville won 5-2 to advance to the final. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
